


Confidential Intel

by papapapuffy



Category: NieR: Automata (Video Game)
Genre: Family Bonding, Family Fluff, Side Quests
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-23
Updated: 2020-06-23
Packaged: 2021-03-03 18:40:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24870196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/papapapuffy/pseuds/papapapuffy
Summary: Let's pretend for a happy moment that the resistance member and his stolen YoRHa son, 32S don't get murdered.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 11





	Confidential Intel

Disclaimer: not mine

He took the specialized YoRHa chips from 2B gratefully. He didn't care if she gazed at him with suspicion, she still handed the chips over. His sharp face brightened immediately carefully holding them in his hands. He cradled them to his chest for a moment. "The next time we meet I'll introduce you to my family." He didn't wait for a reply slightly concerned she might change her mind. The tall man jumped off the roof of the building picking up a nice running speed once on the ground. He felt her eyes watching him take his retreat. They didn't following after him much to his relief.

After leaving the resistance it wasn't too hard to find a new place. Most members didn't like to travel too far away from the safety of others. His safe new place of residents was within the desert apartments. None of the resistance members traveled that deep past the desert zone. Even Jackass didn't go past the caves; there was low risk of anyone finding him.

The old android made his abode out of the fourth level of a partly demolished apartment structure. The first two levels were completely submerged with sand. The building even had an unhealthy looking tilt to it. Nevertheless it was home, home with his family. He leaped up onto the fourth level; since there was no wall to stop him from entering that way. In a way this destroyed room was kind of like a balcony. He walked past into the next room –it actually a fully intact room.

On the old mattress was his unmoving son. The deserter smiled warmly at the boy. It wasn't long ago that he had found the damaged boy in the city. He was surrounded by bodies of various types of machines.

Out of all the bodies his was the least wrecked only missing an arm. He was also covered in smaller cuts and bruises all over. The arm was an easy enough fix for the resistance man to perform. The cuts and bruises would heal themselves. His torso looked relatively untouched so he figured the boy's black box was probably fine. If it had been damaged there would've been no hope. Resistance members didn't have black boxes much less the knowledge to fix one. His filters and tubes had minor surface level scratches but no signs of leakage or fatal harm.

Gently he lifted the scanner's upper body to get to the panel at the base of his neck. Slipping it off without moving his choker he examined the chips that were already there. Most of them still seemed to be in working order. The only damaged one was to his OS chip. The old one was pulled out and left on the nightstand. Smiling with anticipation the new OS chip was popped in and the panel placed back on.

He cradle the smaller android in his arms awaiting the second his eyes would flutter open. He prayed to whoever would listen that his wish for a family would come true. The older man wasn't disappointed either. Two minutes later the hacker had rebooted and opened his eyes. They stared at each other for a while not making a move, simply gauging each other.

The rugged man had dark brown hair on the top of his head while the shaved sides look rather grey. His eyes were a deep olive green; darker then the eyes of the bunker operators. The YoRHa unit didn't show confusion on his face at this unrecognizable face. He wasn't that familiar with resistance members. Scanners were always alone and in different places each night. In the end it didn't matter. All that mattered was that it wasn't a machine staring down at him.

The raven haired boy took a moment to understand the position he was in. His personal space was being disturbed in a way he never once experienced –unless it was with another scanner. It was weird and unprofessional to be held by a complete stranger. Isn't this action for people who care for each other? Why was he being held to the man's chest like he was someone important? His head was resting against the man's artificial heart. Finally the taller man spoke. His voice was deep keeping up with the rugged look his facial features had. "How do you feel?"

"F-f-f-fine." Actually he was a little sore all over but he wasn't going to complain about it. Apparently that wasn't the only thing wrong with him either. He frowned at the way he stuttered his words.

"Your vocal cords must be damaged a little. I'm sorry; I don't know how to fix that." The older model frowned showing sadness. The scanner blinked. Not having the parts or knowledge for the repair was nothing to apologize for. Why was this stranger showing concern? A genuine concern for him?

"S-s'ok." No big deal; things could be worse after all. He slowly pulled away from the man wanting to sit up on his own. His balance and motor functions seemed alright. He flexed his fingers and wiggles his toes testing his movement. Last but not least he reached for his discarded visor and tied it back on.

"Do you remember what happened to you?"

The hacker shivered at the memory not wanting to bring it up. Keep it on a need to know bases. "M-m-machines-es..." He thought back to the moment of unexpected pain hitting his body at full force. A blade sliced through his arm and an electrocuting EMP wave followed right after. His pod had been wrecked before he was surrounded by the enemy. Why didn't YoRHa rescue him? A distressed signal was sent out prior to his pod's death. They didn't even attempt a rescue, did they?

The scanner sighed and averted his gaze to his feet. He scolded himself for being delusional. There would be no way they would come to help. Not when he stole from YoRHa. They probably noticed the missing chips right away. Inventory was always on a tight watched –parts and chips were a bit pricey after all. Seeing another unit would probably mean death for him. He could never return home again.

"W-w-what's-s-s your name?"

The older figure paused to think about it. "Well Jackass use to call me things like 'Grunt, Maggot' or 'Big Baby.' But I would prefer for you to call me something among the line of 'father, dad' or 'papa.' Whichever you prefer will work." He gave a big goofy smile a bit of pink in his cheeks. "Also I was hoping to call you son." He whispered avoiding eye contact. The shy persona didn't really fit his first impression.

"Ok, f-f-father?" He tested it out on his tongue. It felt weird to say but not harm came from it. The expression of absolutely joy pasted over his rough face. The dark haired boy couldn't figure out why though. But maybe it was worth it to make him happy; this android did save his life. He didn't plan on staying long, just till his body could work to as close as one hundred percent as possible.

The boy's head shot up picking up on two black boxes on his radar. Two YoRHa units were heading this way made his black box resonate with anxiousness. Where they after him? The teller android saw the way the raven haired boy tensed up. "Hold on, I'll go check it out wait here." Before leaving he placed his hand on top of his head. Short strands of black hair were ruffled and messed up sticking up in some places.

It felt nice to the sensors attached to the root of his hair. The older man walked out of the room leaving the hacker to himself. He brought a hand to his hair, touching himself in the same way. It didn't give him the same type of reaction. He resisted the urge to pull his legs up to his chest and cower with a sigh. Glimpsing over at his expired OS chip he dropped it into the bag with the others and put them safely in the draw.

"Hey, it's you two, the ones who got those chips back for me." The scanner heard the tone of familiarity in his voice. "Boy, do I ever owe you one. Let me introduce you to the new addiction to my family. It's safe to come out." The black haired boy new the last sentence was directed at him. So his father got help reactivating him? Nervously he stood and walked out to face whoever was there. What units were in this area?

"Your family?" 9S' eyes landed on his fellow scanner. "32S?!"

"N-n-nines-s-s…" 32S recognized both YoRHa units straightway. When his eyes landed on the battler he couldn't help his body from tensing up immediately. Why did the sudden sight of her trigger his fear function? A few combat models tended to look down on the weaker units. However, never before had they exchanged words so fearing her is illogical.

"I always wanted a family. Seeing the machines living together in the same area was starting to make me lonely. I happened to find a broken-down YoRHa."

"This has to violate all kinds of regulations." Nine's tone was uncomfortable and the fact 2B didn't speak at all somehow made it worse.

"I know it isn't right, but I don't care. You won't tell anyone, will you?"

"P-p-p-please-se." With all eyes on him 32S wasn't sure if it was his damage voice or nerves making him stammer.

9S frowned and scratched at the back of his head. He then sigh and smiled kindly. "Well for now, let's see if I can help with your voice."

"Th-thanks-s." The two S types walked into the other room leaving 2B and the resistance man outside.

Nines opened up his menu screen to run a diagnostic. The results were quick. "The valve system that controls airflow to your vocal cords is damaged. I have the part already so I can fix that now. Anything you want to say before I shut you down?" The raven haired boy just shook his head. "Alright, I'll see you in a few minutes." 32S could only close his eyes and prayed that was the truth.

Nines unbuttoned half of his coat and pushed it down his shoulders to have access to his neck and collar. He removing the scanner's necklace and placed it to the side. When downloading anything from the machine server it puts the hacker at risk of the logic virus. This necklace was an external hard drive used to keep the enemies data safely away from the S model. That was the reason why they were the only models to wear them. 9S liked to keep old world music and entertainment videos on his. He figured most scanners did the same.

Pressing down on his clavicles than moving the latch up opened the panel. The inner metallic component was cracked on the side. The silver haired boy disconnected the part from the air compressor. The new one was popped in its place. It really was a quick and simple repair. He closed the plate and fixed his coat before rebooting him.

The first thing the dark haired boy saw was 9S' smiling face. "All done, you might have a small lisp for a few minutes while you adjust to the new part."

"Thanks-s."

"No problem, I'm glad you're well." He offered a hand and helped the dark haired model sit up. "By the way, I couldn't help but noticed the way you tensed up the second you saw 2B earlier. Don't worry she isn't bad to be around." The bashful hacker stayed silent reaching for his choker. He had no reason to doubt the newer model's words. The silver haired boy was practically attached at 2B's hip –always partnered up. "I think it's time to rejoin the others." Nodding in agreement both S models popped their heads out the door. 2B was in exactly the same spot they left her in. The resistance member was pacing around his worry written on his face. The minute he saw his son relief washed over his body.

"How are you now?"

"I'm alright." The injured boy articulated softly. The older android beamed and eagerly pulled him into a hug. The resistance man rubbed at his head yet again. 9S returned to his partner's side as they watched the exchange. The black haired boy didn't hug back nor push away. When they pulled apart the S type gazed over at the other two. What did they think of that weird display of affection?

No one spoke and the air got a little too tense for everyone's liking. It seems like they weren't too convinced about not reporting him to command yet. Well Nines seemed pretty close to giving in though. He wasn't the type to tattle nor did he enjoy watching others get scolded. The combat model, however, was the problem.

With a small sigh he stepped over to her side and gently tugged on her feathered sleeve to get her attention. Her attention turned in his direction. He refused to make eye contact choosing to stare ate his boots. "I'd like to s-s-speak to you in private, please." The girl nodded and 32S lead her into the other room leaving his father and friend behind.

Nines frowned at the fact he was left behind. The rugged man looked shocked as they disappeared behind a closed door. "Has my son discovered girls already?" Blueish gray eyes widened beneath his visor. Joke or not, now he really disliked the fact he was left behind. Of course he knew that 32S didn't have that type of personality. Out of all the scanner units he was the shiest and least spoken. He was the complete opposite of 42S; who was the most outgoing of the hackers. Even he had problems keeping up with the blonde scanner's energy level. 32S was more like a less serious but friendlier 21O -to him anyway. Despite his curiosity he respected his friends' privacy too much to attempt to eavesdrop.

"What do you need?" The fighter asked once they were alone. The raven haired boy reached into the draw of the night table and pulled out a familiar looking bag. He handed them over to her.

"This-s is what you want right? Problem s-s-solved?" She looked inside the pouch and noticed all the chips the commander wanted were there. All of the chips he took were OS chips for different YoRHa units? That's not really confidential intel like the commander stated. However one chip she took back from the machines wasn't there. Instead there was a worn out damaged chip in its place. "S-s-since, I was technically illegally reactivated. I have one unregistered OS chip in my body but that's it. I hope returning these would be enough to stop the warrant of my annihilation." That explained the old chip at the bottom of the bag. It was his previous one; a type only used for scanner models.

The combat unit wanted to say that command hadn't officially sent out that type of order. But that wouldn't have made him feel better. "I see." Honestly she didn't think returning the chips would do anything for him. "I'll return them to the bunker but I can't promise anything else." She slipped the pouch into her pocket. If the commander wanted you "found" you weren't going to be alive for much longer.

"Are you curious?" The girl hadn't moved and just stayed quiet; he wondered if she wanted to ask. "About what I did?"

'It's not of my business' or 'I don't care, I just follow orders' was how she wanted to respond. Instead her mouth just spoke out honestly. "I don't really understand. Why would you steal a small handful of OS chips?"

"I wasn't giving any real missions-s lately so I had a lot of time on my hands. So while wandering around I kept finding bodies-s of our fellow allies-s. I found 42S from North 12C dead. I wanted to bring him back since there didn't seem like another body was being deployed anytime soon. Of course his-s body was mangled beyond compare and it would take a lot more than an OS chip. I still wanted to try and help."

2B hands clenched. To be deemed a traitor for simple wanting to help. 42S' name never showed up on her list to watch out for. As far as she knows there was no reason command wouldn't deploy another body right away. "You didn't tell 9S anything, right?" If this android did anything to tickle Nines' curiosity… 2B bit into her bottom lip.

"I didn't s-say anything. I wouldn't do that to him." The battler exhaled the breath she didn't even know she was holding. "I know what happened to 8B and the others after all…"

"Were you with them?"

"No, not officially anyway. They were sent after me. Three battlers after one scanner seems a bit on the extreme side, don't you think? I told them what I was doing and it was enough to convince them to leave me alone. I can make an educated guess and say they were punished for it?" He noted that his lisp was starting to go away now. 2B didn't respond and he really didn't expect her too.

"Is that it?" She asked making it clear she wanted to return to Nines' side. It was obvious that she didn't want to hear about it. Did he hit a sore spot with her? The battler preferred avoiding the truth that command was hiding anything –well, most of them did. And to her, it didn't matter as long as 9S was safe.

"Yeah, I guess so."

The combat model nodded a goodbye acknowledgment and turned on her heel. 9S's face brightened upon seeing her emerge from the room. "Let's go, 9S." It was the first thing out of her mouth the second she past the threshold of the room. She didn't wait for a reply before leaping down from the makeshift balcony.

"Ok." He turned to his fellow unit. "Bye!" The silver haired boy offered a grin and followed after the combat model. 32S waved subtlety watching them leave. He felt a hand rest on the top of his head. He gazed up at the man playing his father.

"Were you happy to see them?" The raven haired boy gave a little nod after a second or two of thought. The weight on his head was removed and the resistance member turned to walk back into the apartment. Once the YoRHa members were out of sight 32S also entered their home.

"9S, I'm going to report this to the commander in person." 2B stated keeping her gaze forward, watching for any machines.

The boy sighed he knew it was going to happen. "I know; I'll come too."

"No, I want you to stay at the resistance camp. I want you to stay away from 32S until I return as well."

"What why?"

"He's your friend, right? You're more emotional than me, so just let me handle it." That was part of it, sure. The other part was to keep him from being too curious from whatever the commander might respond. She really didn't see their leader letting this go and he would want to find out why. "If they come for him I don't want you there."

"Ok." A small smile graced his face as he looked at his partner. "Thanks 2B."

**Author's Note:**

> I can't imagine what 32S could've stolen from the bunker or even why. I guess 9S isn't the only one figuring out command? It doesn't really say why 22B and the others betrayed either. I like to think they just wanted to live a peaceful life together. Of course the whole thing about him stealing could just be a lie. I like the idea of him being a part of the YoRHa betrayers. So I like to think he stole chips to bring them back.
> 
> After thinking about it I might attempt to do a few chapters of 32S and the resistance man fixing other androids with some slice of life type family fluff. Then connect them with my other story till I'm able to do an ending E fic where everyone is alive. Maybe…


End file.
